This week the DMA’s Center for Creative Connections installed three prints by Hiroshi Yoshida, a significant figure in the history of Japanese woodblock printmaking. Yoshida was part of an early 20th-century movement that found renewed interest in traditional Japanese art forms and culture. This mindset was exemplified by his practice of the traditional ukiyo-e collaborative system (which relied on a division of labor for each step of the printmaking process), his subject matter, and his dedication to using locally sourced and crafted tools and materials. Hiroshi Yoshida was a prolific artist, but his legacy lives on beyond the art he created. He was also part of a family of printmakers. Beginning with his adoptive parents, the lineage is as follows:

Following Hiroshi’s death in 1950, his sons Toshi and Hodaka both began to experiment artistically. Toshi created prints of African wildlife, while Hodaka moved toward abstraction. Both artists are represented in the Museum’s collection, though their work is currently not on view.

In the early 1970s, Daryl Howard, a Texan living and teaching art at an overseas school in Tokyo, accepted an apprenticeship with Hodaka Yoshida. During her time studying with Hodaka, Howard learned traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking techniques and acquired a personal collection of prints and printmaking tools. Howard, who has since returned to Austin, has teamed up with the DMA to assist with educational initiatives related to the Hiroshi Yoshida prints. Howard has loaned a collection of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking tools— including carving tools, brushes, paper, a baren, and a small printmakers table—to accompany the three prints.

Daryl Howard (left) and a woodblock print she created

Meet Daryl Howard this May and learn more about the Yoshida family, Japanese woodblock printmaking, and her own art and process.

Friday, May 20

Late Night Art Bytes: Woodblock Printmaking8:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Tech Lab, C3
Join artist Daryl Howard for this hands-on art-making experience and create an image in the technique of Japanese woodblock printmaking. Ink a block and pull your own print. Space is limited; sign up 30 minutes prior to workshop to reserve a spot.
Included in Late Night ticket

Late Night Art Bytes: New Technology, Ancient Artform
9:00–9:45 p.m., C3 Theater
After 30 years of woodcarving, printmaker Daryl Howard has shifted to a new method to achieve the same end result. Hear her speak about how modern technology has affected the ancient art form of Japanese woodblock printmaking.
Included in Late Night ticket

Gallery Talk: West Meets East . . . A One-Year Journey with the Yoshida Family
12:15 p.m., Meet at Visitors Service Desk
Hiroshi Yoshida was the most accomplished Shin-Hanga woodblock printmaker of his time. Printmaker Daryl Howard will share a brief history of Japanese woodblock printmaking and the amazing Yoshida family.
Included in free general admission

Jessica Fuentes is the Manager of Gallery Interpretation and the Center for Creative Connections at the DMA.